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450 million rounds of ammo for Dept. of Homland Security?

Why Does The Department Of Homeland Security Need 450 MILLION Hollow Point Bullets?
Somebody out there has decided that the Department of Homeland Security needs a whole lot of ammunition. Recently it was announced that ATK was awarded a contract to provide up to 450 MILLION hollow point bullets to the Department of Homeland Security over the next five years. Is it just me, or does that sound incredibly excessive? What in the world is the DHS going to do with 450 million rounds? What possible event would ever require that much ammunition? If the United States was ever invaded, it would be the job of the U.S. military to defend the country, so that can’t be it. So what are all of those bullets for? Who does the Department of Homeland Security plan to be shooting at? According to the U.S. Census, there are only about 311 million people living in the entire country. So why does the Department of Homeland Security need 450 million rounds of ammunition? Either this is an incredible waste or there is something that the Department of Homeland Security is not telling us.

I could understand if the U.S. military was ordering ammunition in this quantity. When you fight wars you can go through ammunition very rapidly.

But the Department of Homeland Security is only supposed to be shooting at people very rarely.

It simply does not make sense that they would need so much ammunition.

The following is an excerpt from the official press release about this deal between ATK and the Department of Homeland Security….

ATK announced that it is being awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) agreement from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS, ICE) for .40 caliber ammunition. This contract features a base of 12 months, includes four option years, and will have a maximum volume of 450 million rounds.

ATK was the incumbent and won the contract with its HST bullet, which has proven itself in the field. The special hollow point effectively passes through a variety of barriers and holds its jacket in the toughest conditions. HST is engineered for 100-percent weight retention, limits collateral damage, and avoids over-penetration.

“We are proud to extend our track record as the prime supplier of .40 caliber duty ammunition for DHS, ICE,” said Ron Johnson, President of ATK’s Security and Sporting group.

But this is not the only kind of ammo that the DHS is placing an order for.

Business Insider is also reporting that the Department of Homeland Security is seeking to buy 175 million rifle ammunition rounds….

We’ve also learned that the Department has an open bid for a stockpile of rifle ammo. Listed on the federal business opportunities network, they’re looking for up to 175 million rounds of .233 caliber ammo to be exact. The 223 is almost exactly the same round used by NATO forces, the 5.56 x 45mm.

This all comes at a time when gun sales are absolutely going through the roof in the United States.

Gun manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co. recently announced that it would be suspending new orders until May because it received orders for more than one million guns during the months of January and February.

The following announcement about this suspension of sales comes from their official website….

The Company’s Retailer Programs that were offered from January 1, 2012 through February 29, 2012 were very successful and generated significant orders from retailers to independent wholesale distributors for Ruger firearms.[/*]Year-to-date, the independent wholesale distributors placed orders with the Company for more than one million Ruger firearms.[/*]Despite the Company’s continuing successful efforts to increase production rates, the incoming order rate exceeds our capacity to rapidly fulfill these orders. Consequently, the Company has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new orders.[/*]The Company expects to resume the normal acceptance of orders by the end of May 2012.[/*][/list]Since Barack Obama first took office, gun sales in America have risen to extraordinary levels.

Overall, more than 10 million guns were sold in the United States during 2011.

And gun sales have continued to rise at a brisk pace in 2012. The following was recently posted on Yahoo News….

The NSSF said that 920,840 instant criminal background checks were made in January alone, a gain of 17.3% over the same month in 2011. This now makes it the 20th consecutive month of increases. While using the number of background checks is a good measurement of sales, it doesn’t paint the whole picture as some checks are used for the purchases of multiple firearms. Also, some private transfers and sales from gun shows are exempt, making the actual number of guns sold higher.

According to Gallup, 41 percent of all Americans said that they owned a gun in 2010. But when that question was asked again in 2011, that number had risen to 47 percent.

Clearly, a lot of Americans are feeling the need to arm themselves.

Unfortunately, they may find themselves short on ammunition for those guns considering how much ammo the government is buying up.

So what is causing everyone to buy so many guns?

Well, without a doubt we are likely to see a rise in crime as the U.S. economy continues to crumble. People want to be able to protect themselves and their families when everything falls apart. In fact, we are already starting to see some really violent home invasions in many parts of the nation. Many in the prepper movement are deeply concerned about the direction this country is headed and they want to be prepared for whatever happens.

Of course the rising gang problem in America is a major concern too. According to the FBI there are now 1.4 million gang members living in the United States, and that number has increased by 40 percent since 2009. Many urban communities have essentially been taken over by these gangs, and many of these gangs are definitely not shy about using violence. Average Americans that live in these communities want to be able to have a fighting chance against these gangs.

But that doesn’t explain why the DHS needs so much ammunition. Yes, our world is becoming increasingly unstable, but under what conditions does the DHS ever anticipate firing off 450 million rounds?

“Now the freaks are on television, the freaks are in the movies. And it’s no longer the sideshow, it’s the whole show. The colorful circus and the clowns and the elephants, for all intents and purposes, are gone, and we’re dealing only with the freaks.” - Jonathan Winters

DHS does all the training, qualifying and requalifying for all federal non military personel who carry a firearm.

Well I guess if they take care of the trigger happy ATF boys that would explain a lot. With Obama in charge I'm sure they are planning a few thousand more raids like the one at Ruby Ridge if Obama get's a second term. Can't wait. I'm starting to sand bag now.. Thank you, thank you very much

"I could have ended the war in a month. I could have made North Vietnam look like a mud puddle."

"I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution."Sen. Barry Goldwater

Actually it sounds to me like the good old political game of ensuring somebody they want gets the contract. Not a lot of manufacturers could meet that quantity. Limits the bidders and somebody gets a kick back!

Sure is an awful lot of ammo, not to mention all the 223 rounds they are ordering.

“Now the freaks are on television, the freaks are in the movies. And it’s no longer the sideshow, it’s the whole show. The colorful circus and the clowns and the elephants, for all intents and purposes, are gone, and we’re dealing only with the freaks.” - Jonathan Winters

Well, if the Tea Party types gets their way and revamps your country's tax and social programs there will defiantly be a lot of people that will find themselves with limited or no means of providing for themselves. It might cause some strife in some areas. Mind you Homeland Security will probably need to hire in order to keep the peace, might even take a good chunk of those that find themselves in tough times. Hey buddy, can you fire a gun? If not we can train you.

Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference. —Mark Twain

someone else did the math, but if you add up all the employees that carry a firearm for the DHS, and boarder patrol and whatever else they have, it works out to about 1100 rounds per employee

From that, they will have to practice and qualify with just 1100 rounds.

which is nothing, it's only April and I have all ready burned through almost 2000 rounds, but I'm a competition shooter and I bet I can shoot a LOT BETTER than someone trying to qualify with just 1100 rounds.

Hollow points are used to take down living targets. There is no need to use the far more expensive hollow point rounds for practice.

you should check with the DHS, they practice with what they shoot.

The FBI also figured out that they DO NOT pick up there brass until they are done shooting for the day.

The reason is the 1986 Miami shootout where two FBI agents were killed and 5 injured by two bad guys, a couple of the FBI agents had spent brass in there pockets...whaaa?

The reason is, they shoot how they practiced and they picked up there brass as they went. they (FBI) figured out that was a bad thing. So they shoot what the use, that way everytime they pull the trigger it's exactly like practice, felt recoil, reloads, everything.

Well, if the Tea Party types gets their way and revamps your country's tax and social programs there will defiantly be a lot of people that will find themselves with limited or no means of providing for themselves. It might cause some strife in some areas. Mind you Homeland Security will probably need to hire in order to keep the peace, might even take a good chunk of those that find themselves in tough times. Hey buddy, can you fire a gun? If not we can train you.

Huh? Let's not make such wild accusations without baking them up.

Homeland Security is nothing more than the German Brown Shirt's of past, an agency disguised to protect, but ultimately to suppress and control Americans that would rise up and take back the country they love and want to preserve as guaranteed under the barely breathing Constitution.

Politicians need to be changed like diapers, and for the same reason.
Mark Twain